Phase separation process utilizing a hydrofluorocarbon
AssigneeExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
InventorsMichael F. McDonald, Scott T. Milner, D. Shaffer Timothy, N. Webb Robert, D. Hembree Richard
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Abstract
Provided for herein is a process for separating a hydrocarbon-rubber from a hydrofluorocarbon diluent comprising contacting a polymer slurry comprising the hydrocarbon-rubber dispersed within the hydrofluorocarbon diluent with a hydrocarbon solvent capable of dissolving the hydrocarbon-rubber, to produce a first liquid phase and a second liquid phase, and separating the first liquid phase from the second liquid phase.
Claims57
A post-polymerization process for separating a hydrocarbon-rubber from a polymer slurry having said hydrocarbon-rubber dispersed within a diluent, which comprises the steps of:
- (a) contacting said polymer slurry with a hydrocarbon solvent capable of dissolving said hydrocarbon-rubber, to produce a first essentially homogeneous liquid phase and a second essentially homogeneous liquid phase;
- and
- (b) separating said first liquid phase from said second liquid phase, wherein said diluent comprises a hydrofluorocarbon, said first liquid phase comprises at least 60 wt % of said hydrofluorocarbon based on the total weight of said hydrofluorocarbon in said polymer slurry, and said second liquid phase comprises at least 90 wt % of the hydrocarbon-rubber based on the total weight of said hydrocarbon-rubber in said polymer slurry.
A post-polymerization process for separating a hydrocarbon-rubber from a polymer slurry having said hydrocarbon-rubber dispersed in a hydrofluorocarbon diluent of, comprising the steps of
- a) contacting said polymer slurry with a hydrocarbon solvent to dissolve said hydrocarbon-rubber at a pressure greater than or equal to the vapor pressure of the resulting mixture;
- b) adjusting the temperature, the pressure, and/or the weight fraction of the diluent in said resulting mixture to introduce phase-separation of said resulting mixture to produce a first essentially homogeneous liquid phase and a second essentially homogeneous liquid phase;
- and
- c) separating said first liquid phase from said second liquid phase by decanting, gravity settling, liquid/liquid centrifugation, or a combination thereof,
- wherein said first liquid phase comprises at least 60 wt % of said hydrofluorocarbon diluent based on the total weight of said hydrofluorocarbon diluent in said polymer slurry and wherein said second liquid phase comprises at least 90 wt % of said hydrocarbon-rubber based on the total weight of said hydrocarbon-rubber in said polymer slurry.
A post-polymerization process for separating a hydrocarbon-rubber from a polymer slurry having said hydrocarbon-rubber dispersed within a diluent, which comprises the steps of:
- (a) contacting said polymer slurry with a hydrocarbon solvent capable of dissolving said hydrocarbon-rubber, to produce a first liquid phase and a second liquid phase;
- and
- (b) separating said first liquid phase from said second liquid phase,
- wherein said diluent comprises a hydrofluorocarbon, said first liquid phase comprises at least 60 wt % of said hydrofluorocarbon based on the total weight of said hydrofluorocarbon in said polymer slurry, and said second liquid phase comprises at least 90 wt % of the hydrocarbon-rubber based on the total weight of said hydrocarbon-rubber in said polymer slurry.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.